“If equipment went missing in a business, management would make the staff turn the place upside down until it was found. But if a customer goes missing, no one even seems to notice, let alone do anything.”
These words, spoken by Mike Hewan of Phantom group, hit the poor customer service nail firmly on the head. Hewan and partners, Wayde Kennedy and Anthony Field-Buss, specialise in helping businesses to identify and fill the holes in their customer service, using ‘phantom shopping’ and satisfaction tracking.
Although most businesses claim to be customer-centric, Kennedy points out that many of them fail to realise that customer service concerns the customer as a real person. Hewan adds: “You need to think about your brand as a person and businesses need to make sure that they have the right frontline staff representing that brand ‘personality’.” Businesses need to realise that they are selling an entire customer experience, not just a product or service. “This is where their differentiation will come from,” Hewan explains, adding that ultimately, businesses need to track their customer service trends in the same way they track their finances. Both are equally important to the bottom line.
As a solution, Kennedy advises: “Identify the need for customer service improvement first. Then put procedures in place to empower staff to deliver great customer service.” If his ten tips for creating great customer service sound obvious to you, ask yourself why you aren’t implementing them:
- Commit To Quality Service.
Everyone in the company needs to be devoted to creating a positive customer experience. - Know Your Products.
It will help you win a customer’s trust and confidence. Try to anticipate the types of questions customers will ask. - Know Your Customers.
Learn everything you can about them so you can tailor your service to meet their needs and buying habits. - Treat People With Courtesy And Respect.
Every contact creates an impression. - Never Argue With A Customer.
Instead of focusing on what went wrong, concentrate on how to fix it. - Don’t Leave Customers Hanging.
95% of dissatisfied customers will do business with you again if their complaint is solved on the spot. - Always Provide What You Promise.
If you don’t, you’ll lose credibility. - Assume Customers Are Telling The Truth.
Always give them the benefit of the doubt. - Focus On Making Customers, Not Making Sales.
Keeping a customer’s business is more important than closing a sale. - Make It Easy To Buy.
Eliminate unnecessary paperwork and do whatever you can to make transactions easier.